Exclusive! Trump Previews Upcoming Abortion Statement, Suggests Public Reaction Will Be Predictable
Debarylife – Former President Donald Trump said, “We’ll make a statement next week on abortion,” in response to a question on his support for Florida’s six-week abortion ban, which will go into force in May as a result of a state supreme court verdict on Monday, during a rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, earlier on Tuesday.
Later that day, Trump stated that he did not “think people would be overly surprised” by the outcome of the anticipated announcement in an exclusive interview with Spectrum News.
The former president and likely Republican nominee told Spectrum News 1 Wisconsin’s Anthony DaBruzzi ahead of his rally in Green Bay on Tuesday night that the statement he would make is “not a change in position” on abortion, a crucial issue that Democrats, especially President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign, are leveraging ahead of November’s election.
“No shift in stance,” declared Trump. It’s going to be a highly significant event. It will be something that I don’t believe will surprise people too much, you know. You have to follow your heart and your spirit. However, we must also keep in mind how crucial it is to win elections—we must prevail in them. If not, you revert to your previous location. And I think that the announcement that comes next week will be excellent.”
Democrats have attempted to portray Trump as the cause of the 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade, the decision that made abortion legal across the country. Three Supreme Court justices chosen by the Republican party voted to reverse the historic 1973 ruling, enabling states across the nation to impose limitations and outright prohibitions on abortion.
SEE MORE: Trump Lambasts Resigning GOP Representatives as ‘Cowards and Weaklings’ Amid Majority Loss
In the past, Trump has expressed support for a nationwide ban on abortions performed beyond around 15 weeks of pregnancy. The six-week restriction in Florida, which was supported by Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Trump loyalist who is now running against him for the Republican nomination, was dubbed “a terrible mistake” by the former president last year.
Having won many countrywide special elections after Roe was overturned and a surprise good midterm performance in 2022, Democrats are continuing to make the issue a major centerpiece of their campaign in 2024. In the wake of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health decision that reversed Roe, support for access to abortion has reached all-time highs according to recent polls.
Biden’s team said earlier on Tuesday that the deeply conservative state will be involved in the race in November as a result of the Florida Supreme Court’s decision to permit a ballot question over access to abortion.
“We should prevail on that issue,” Trump stated to Spectrum News on Tuesday. “We ought to prevail in the Roe v. Wade case. It was returned to the United States. I believe what you’re witnessing is the states’ impending dominance. However, I will give a very succinct comment on that subject next week.”
Trump is making his first trip to Wisconsin since 2022; in contrast, Biden has visited the state ten times as president, including three times this year. Wisconsin is a crucial state for both candidates in November. He aimed to highlight the significance of the state.
Trump declared, “I think it’s very important.” It’s an excellent state. Twice, I performed well here. As you are aware, I won the first election handily and performed admirably in the primaries. I believe that my performance in the second election was significantly better.”
SEE MORE: Trump’s Upcoming Fundraiser Set to Outdo Biden’s Obama Event, Allies Assert
Although it is technically true that Trump received more than 1.4 million votes in 2016 to defeat Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, and more than 1.6 million in 2020, he ultimately lost the state to Biden in the most recent presidential election by 20,000 votes. (During his speech in Green Bay later on Tuesday, Trump made up the assertion that Wisconsin was won “by a lot.”)
Speaking on how he might regain the trust of suburban women, a crucial group that helped Biden win four years ago, Trump stated that he thinks “what they want is safety.” However, he also predicted that he is “going to do very well” in Wisconsin in November.
“They want security, and they get that with me on the border with law enforcement,” Trump said to Spectrum News, before referring to his earlier-in-the-day event in Grand Rapids, Michigan, when he was accompanied on stage by law enforcement officers dressed in uniform.
Women desire security. You could say that suburban ladies are like that, but suburban women want security and safety, and they get that from me,” Trump asserted. “They don’t get anything with Biden, all they get with Biden is nothing.”
At his speech in Michigan earlier on Tuesday, Trump criticized Biden for his handling of the border between the United States and Mexico, seeking to accuse his Democratic opponent of permitting a “bloodbath” of violence by immigration that is “destroying the country.”
Along with restating earlier campaign promises on public safety and the economy—the former president famously used the phrase “drill, baby, drill” to discuss unleashing American energy in an attempt to lower inflation, even though U.S. oil production had reached a record high under Biden—the former president also touched on public safety, promising to “seal the border.”
Additionally, he made fun of his possible running mate.
“We have a great list of people potential people,” Trump stated. “I can assure you that they are all motivated to do it. And we’ll probably announce [the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee in July], if not earlier.”